God's Got Your Back

 

And he was transfigured before them,

and his face shone like the sun,

and his clothes became bright as light.

(From Matthew 17:1-9)

For years, Elaine and I made a pilgrimage to Southwest Harbor, a little village in Acadia National Park.

We “soaked in God” in quiet moments: sitting on sun-warmed rocks, awe inspired watching sunlight glitter across the breaking waves, and the endless blue.

We “soaked in God” hiking, walking Carriage Roads and climbing mountains with awe views of the harbors and coastline.

During our stay at our cottage, we made friends with a lobsterman, housekeeping staff, and manager so We visited together, shared meals, of fresh lobster rolls or fish chowder.

As time passed travel became difficult, our routine changed, because we could no longer travel that distance to Acadia.

Understanding Matthew’s Gospel means knowing what was going on at the time.

The synagogues were experiencing arguments about membership and worries about the Roman Empire: A sort of “fighting’s and fears, within, without,” as the old hymn says.

People were losing confidence in the coming of Christ and drifting away.

 Matthew’s transfiguration story is meant as an assurance that Jesus will return and complete the work he has started.

Peter’s declaration that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God even when you doubt, hold on God’s promises are real and a new beginning coming.

God’s got your back.

Just as God was faithful to Jesus along the rough road to the cross, God is faithful to us no matter what we face, on our journey.

Maybe it's job loss, health, doubting our faith, feeling alone. or hope feeling distant.

Listen to Jesus, trust that God keeps promises, and don’t stop, even if the journey is tough.

There’s a reason to hope and a light ahead, no matter how rough the road feels right now.

Liam, Micah and Me

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.

    And what does the Lord require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy

    and to walk humbly[a] with your God.

(from Micah 6:1-8)

The image of 5-year-old Liam Ramos and his bunny hat surrounded by ICE soldiers still haunts me.

Recognizing he was walking home from preschool, taken from his dad, transferred to a detention facility, and gets sick while confined, doesn’t help.

What kind of experience of loneliness and darkness is this poor child having?

How terrified is this boy being transferred from one place to another by soldiers?

I find this blog difficult to write because I have been through my own “terrors of the night” (PS 91:5) some as a child, some as a teen, some as a young adult, now some as an elder.

This phrase comes from Psalm 91:5, which speaks to finding comfort in faith during times of fear.

What creates the difficulty is the apparent lack of hope in a “terror of the night.”

My hope for Liam Ramos and anyone experiencing loneliness and darkness comes from the Word of the Lord through Micah’s ancient wisdom offering guidance for responding to suffering with justice and compassion."

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
    And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly with your God.

For me, this a vision of Jesus’s peaceable kingdom where God’s love defeats the enemies of loneliness and abandonment.

It is a hopeful vision of healing in the dark and broken places of our world.